A gamma spectroscopy-based non-destructive approach for pebble bed reactor safeguards

Dany Mulyana; Sunil S. Chirayath

doi:10.1016/j.anucene.2023.110186

A gamma spectroscopy-based non-destructive approach for pebble bed reactor safeguards

Dany Mulyana, Sunil S. Chirayath

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

A gamma radiation spectroscopy study was carried out for the nuclear safeguards monitoring of fuel burnup and special nuclear material (SNM) mass in the irradiated fuel of a pebble bed reactor (PBR). The concentration of radioactive materials in irradiated PBR fuel pebbles was estimated as a function of fuel burnup for varying ²³⁵U enrichments using the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) neutronics simulation code. Gamma radiation spectra corresponding to various pebble fuel burnups were then created using MCNP modeling and simulations of a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector. Analysis of the simulation results showed that the correlations such as (a) fuel burnup versus leftover ²³⁵U content, total Pu content, ¹³⁷Cs content, ¹³⁴Cs/¹³⁷Cs ratio, and ¹⁵⁴Eu/¹³⁷Cs ratio; (b) ¹³⁷Cs mass versus leftover ²³⁵U content, total Pu content, and fissile Pu content, and (c) ¹³⁴Cs/¹³⁷Cs or ¹⁵⁴Eu/¹³⁷Cs ratio versus total Pu content are sufficient to estimate pebble fuel burnup and the SNM mass.

Original language	English
Article number	110186
Journal	Annals of Nuclear Energy
Volume	195
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2023.110186
State	Published - Jan 2024
Externally published	Yes

Funding

This research is part of a graduate degree study partially funded by the Indonesian Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN, formerly the Ministry of Research and Technology of Indonesia) through a RisetPro fellowship and did not receive any other grant from funding agencies in the commercial or not-for-profit sectors. Authors would like to place on record their highest appreciation for the English language editing and proofreading assistance provided by Ms. Kelley Holle Ragusa, Assistant Director of the Texas A&M Center for Nuclear Security Science and Policy Initiatives.

Funders	Funder number
Indonesian Research and Innovation Agency
Ministry of Research and Technology of Indonesia
Texas A&M Center for Nuclear Security Science and Policy Initiatives
Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional

Keywords

Fuel burnup
Nuclear safeguards monitoring
Pebble bed reactor
Special nuclear material accounting

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10.1016/j.anucene.2023.110186

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title = "A gamma spectroscopy-based non-destructive approach for pebble bed reactor safeguards",

abstract = "A gamma radiation spectroscopy study was carried out for the nuclear safeguards monitoring of fuel burnup and special nuclear material (SNM) mass in the irradiated fuel of a pebble bed reactor (PBR). The concentration of radioactive materials in irradiated PBR fuel pebbles was estimated as a function of fuel burnup for varying 235U enrichments using the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) neutronics simulation code. Gamma radiation spectra corresponding to various pebble fuel burnups were then created using MCNP modeling and simulations of a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector. Analysis of the simulation results showed that the correlations such as (a) fuel burnup versus leftover 235U content, total Pu content, 137Cs content, 134Cs/137Cs ratio, and 154Eu/137Cs ratio; (b) 137Cs mass versus leftover 235U content, total Pu content, and fissile Pu content, and (c) 134Cs/137Cs or 154Eu/137Cs ratio versus total Pu content are sufficient to estimate pebble fuel burnup and the SNM mass.",

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AU - Chirayath, Sunil S.

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N2 - A gamma radiation spectroscopy study was carried out for the nuclear safeguards monitoring of fuel burnup and special nuclear material (SNM) mass in the irradiated fuel of a pebble bed reactor (PBR). The concentration of radioactive materials in irradiated PBR fuel pebbles was estimated as a function of fuel burnup for varying 235U enrichments using the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) neutronics simulation code. Gamma radiation spectra corresponding to various pebble fuel burnups were then created using MCNP modeling and simulations of a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector. Analysis of the simulation results showed that the correlations such as (a) fuel burnup versus leftover 235U content, total Pu content, 137Cs content, 134Cs/137Cs ratio, and 154Eu/137Cs ratio; (b) 137Cs mass versus leftover 235U content, total Pu content, and fissile Pu content, and (c) 134Cs/137Cs or 154Eu/137Cs ratio versus total Pu content are sufficient to estimate pebble fuel burnup and the SNM mass.

AB - A gamma radiation spectroscopy study was carried out for the nuclear safeguards monitoring of fuel burnup and special nuclear material (SNM) mass in the irradiated fuel of a pebble bed reactor (PBR). The concentration of radioactive materials in irradiated PBR fuel pebbles was estimated as a function of fuel burnup for varying 235U enrichments using the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) neutronics simulation code. Gamma radiation spectra corresponding to various pebble fuel burnups were then created using MCNP modeling and simulations of a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector. Analysis of the simulation results showed that the correlations such as (a) fuel burnup versus leftover 235U content, total Pu content, 137Cs content, 134Cs/137Cs ratio, and 154Eu/137Cs ratio; (b) 137Cs mass versus leftover 235U content, total Pu content, and fissile Pu content, and (c) 134Cs/137Cs or 154Eu/137Cs ratio versus total Pu content are sufficient to estimate pebble fuel burnup and the SNM mass.

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KW - Special nuclear material accounting

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A gamma spectroscopy-based non-destructive approach for pebble bed reactor safeguards

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